Nothing's under the bed... right?
by Harper1
Summary: Prue had the Nothing, Phoebe had the Woogeyman, now a childhood demon of Piper's comes back for her daughter. It's a tad short, but I didn't have much time.


Nothing's under the bed... right?   
  
By Harper  
  
Just so ya know: This was a spur of the moment thing and it's sorta short, but I have to go so.... Enjoy!  
  
  
Piper groaned and looked at the clock. It read 8:45. "Melinda, honey, it's time for bed," Piper told her daughter that was almost asleep in the couch next to Piper. Melinda didn't flinch. Piper gave her husband a pleading look to come over and take Melinda up stairs to bed.   
  
Leo came over and said, "Come on, Mel," as he picked their daughter up and started for the stairs. Piper followed close behind so she could say good night. Every day it seemed the stairs were becoming more and more of a challenge for Piper. Her back really hurt at times and the mood swings were always causing people to give her odd looks. But of course, there was only one more month until this baby was born. A little girl like Melinda had been, her and Leo had decided to name her Cassandra.  
  
When Melinda had brushed her teeth and been tucked in by her father, Leo leaned down and kissed his little girl on the forehead, "Sweet dreams, Melinda," he told her. Then he stepped back and let Piper forward.  
  
"Night, sweet pea," Piper whispered and also kissed Melinda, this time on the cheek.   
  
Melinda slowly opened one of her droopy eyes and in a barely audible whisper said, "Good night, Daddy, Mummy, baby," she finished as she brought a small hand out from under the floral covers and touched Piper's stomach.  
  
Piper and Leo started to turn around and head for the door. But when Piper reached up to turn the light switch off, Melinda said, "Mum, don't turn the light off!" Piper stopped and turned back to Melinda.  
  
For the last week or so Melinda had been begging Piper not to turn the lights off, which Piper hadn't, but this fear caused a really hard time for Piper and if he was there, Leo to sleep.  
  
"Look, Melinda," Piper tried to reason with the stubborn six-year-old, "I know you're afraid of the dark, but-"  
  
"I'm not a scared of the dark!" Melinda exclaimed to her mother, and then more quietly and to herself, "It's not the dark I'm afraid of." Melinda looked down like she was guilty. Piper walked over to her daughter and sat down on the foot of her bed.  
  
"Then why don't you want me to turn the lights off?" Piper asked. She had an idea in the back of her mind that she didn't want to think of, but if Melinda wasn't afraid of the dark, it was the most logical reason.  
  
Melinda really didn't want to tell her mum about the thing under her bed. 'Mummy usually gets really mad when ever there is someone bad here, I don't want Mum to get mad,' Melinda thought. But she knew that whatever was under her bed was evil. Melinda had even sneaked out to check the Book of Shadows one night. It didn't help much because all it did was show scary pictures and big words Melinda couldn't read, but it did give her an excuse to get away from the thing under her bed.  
  
"It's, there's, um, there's a something that's under my bed," Melinda confessed. She searched her mother's face for any sign of anger but all she could see was fear. That didn't help much and soon Melinda's lip began to tremble.   
  
Something that's under the bed, something that's under the bed, something that's under the bed; the words seemed to ring over and over in Piper's mind. That thing she knew it was, but didn't want to think about, was right under where she sat now.  
  
Piper snapped out of her temporary shock and saw Melinda on the verge of crying. She snuggled her into her arms and quickly led her out of her room. Piper steered Melinda into her own room that she shared with Leo.   
  
Leo was laying on the bed when he saw his wife and child come into the room, one crying, and one in shock. He jumped up and helped get Melinda up and onto their bed, which was a little high for her to climb onto. Then he led Piper out into the hallway. "What happened?" he asked.  
  
Piper didn't say anything, she burst out in tears and grabbed Leo and buried her head into his shoulder. Leo was a little taken back; he hadn't expected his wife to break down so fast. He made sure again that Melinda couldn't hear their conversation and then waited for Piper to calm down. When she had, he asked again, "What happened?"  
  
Piper took a deep breath and than began, "There was this thing that was under my bed when I was little...  
  
********Flashback***********  
  
Prue couldn't get to sleep; Piper's crying was keeping her up. Finally Prue gave up and went over to Piper's bed. "Can you stop crying please?"  
  
Piper looked at her older sister with a tear stained face. "He said he's gonna come up tonight and get me," Piper told her.  
  
This was the third night the two sisters have had this conversation and Prue already knew Piper thought there was a thing under her bed telling her threats. But Prue also knew not to push Piper or to be mean to her, she didn't want Piper to cry louder, wake Phoebe up, which would alert Grams and Mom, big time.  
  
"Can you show me?" Prue whispered. Piper looked up at her like she had just pulled out a gun. Prue wanted her to go under her bed? But she was her sister, and Piper trusted her. If she wanted Piper to go under the bed, Piper was going to look under the bed. Piper gulped and then sat up in her bed, she slid her feet over the edge and then stood up.  
  
She was about to bend over and lift up the lacey bed skirt, but a grimy looking hand with claws came out first. It latched onto one of Piper's ankles and yanked, hard. Not expecting it, Piper fell back and let out a loud shriek, sure to wake both Mom and Grams. Another hand just like the first came out and grabbed onto Piper's other ankle, both of them attached to Piper, they began to pull her under.  
  
Piper screamed for Prue to help her, and caused the newborn Phoebe to wake up wailing. At first, Prue tried to use her power, but it wasn't working, Piper's wasn't either. "PRUE!" Piper screamed again and this time Prue reached and grabbed both of Piper's wrists. She began to pull, leaning back, trying to win her sister in the game of tough of war.  
  
With Prue and the thing under the bed pulling in opposite ways, Piper was in great pain. Piper kept screaming and crying for her Mom, Grams, Prue and even Phoebe sometimes.   
  
It seemed like forever, but finally, their mother and Grams rushed into the their daughter's room and saw Prue pulling hard on something. They ran over to Prue and saw what Prue's bed had blocked from view. Piper, half being pulled by Prue and half under the bed, wailing with her eyes tightly closed for whatever was under the bed to let go.   
  
Patty threw up her hands just as Grams tried to use her power too, but like Piper and Prue, they weren't working.  
  
Then Grams took charge. "Patty, get the book, Prue don't let go of your sister, and Piper, honey, everything's going to be alright," she yelled.   
  
Patty ran out of the room and into the attic. The furiously flipped through the pages, nothing, nothing! Then a blue glow started infront of her: Sam. "Sam! Piper's downstairs, there's someth-" Patty started but her whitelighter put a finger to his lips to quiet her.  
  
"There is no way to vanquish this... spell wise," Sam added as he saw the worried face of Patty. "Just turn on the lights three seconds before midnight and turn them back off three after midnight. That's all and I'm being called so..." Sam would have finished but Patty rushed over to him and kissed him smack on the lips. "Go save Piper," he whispered as he orbed out of the attic.  
  
Patty flew back down the stairs and checked the clock. Just in time, there was thirty seconds until midnight. She stood by the light switch, her hand ready. Patty tried to block out her daughter's cries for help and keep focused on the time. 7... 6... 5...4... 3- Patty snapped on the lights and they heard a popping sound come from under the bed- 2... 1... midnight... 1... 2... 3- Patty flipped the lights off again and a loud cry came out from under the bed along with some more popping noises.  
  
She rushed over to help Prue and Grams gently pull Piper out. Amazingly, both of Piper's arms were still in her sockets and the only scratch she had was a large on her right ankle, which wasn't even that big and could be taken care of with a couple Band-Aids.   
  
That night Prue and Piper still spent the night in their mother's bed.  
  
  
"...It was so horrible Leo, I'm, I'm just so glad Melinda told me before it came for her," Piper finished and then looked back into her room. Melinda was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep, with the lights on.  
  
Piper backed away from her long hug with Leo to check her watch. It wasn't there; she had already taken it off. She grabbed Leo's wrist and twisted it so she could see the time. Leo gave Piper a look as she glared at the face of the watch. It read 11:58. "We're not too late," Piper said. She turned around and reached for the door of what used to be Prue's room a couple years ago, the one that she and Prue had shared as little kids. Leo joined his pregnant wife in the doorway by the light switch, ready to tell her when to flip the switch.  
  
"Now!" he told her, and Piper turned the light on. The popping sound began from under Melinda's bed. After the six seconds had passed Leo told Piper to turn the light off again. The last cry of whatever was under that bed was let out and then all was quiet.   
  
Piper let out a long sigh and went back with Leo to their own room. Melinda hadn't even moved since they had last checked. "Let's get to sleep," Leo said.  
  
"I'll be right there," Piper said, and then started to leave. She blew a kiss to her husband and then another one to her sleeping daughter. Leo nodded at Piper, dismissing her to leave.   
  
Piper slowly walked up to the attic; it would be a relief to have this baby just to be able to get up the stairs with out being in so much pain. Finally she reached the Book of Shadows and opened it to a blank page. After a short search for a pen, Piper started writing a note in the Book of Shadows. The thing under the bed had come back from her childhood, what was stopping it from coming back again? Luckily, Patty had told her daughters how she got rid of it. This note was for if anyone ever forgot, Piper knew she wouldn't.  
  
Piper slowly descended down the stairs and ended up next to Melinda, who was between her and Leo. "Write a warning in the Book?" Leo whispered careful not to wake Melinda.   
  
Piper nodded. "I guess now we've each had our childhood demons come back to haunt us, Prue had the Nothing in the ice cream truck, and Phoebe had the Woogyman," Piper whispered back.  
  
"And Piper had the thing under her bed," Leo finished.  
  
"The thing under the bed almost had Piper," Piper corrected him.   
  
"Thank God he didn't." Leo bent over Melinda and kissed Piper good night.   



End file.
